


Retrograde

by Chanonvic



Category: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun | A Certain Scientific Railgun
Genre: Dub names/references used, F/F, Girls Kissing, Post Railgun T, References to Canon, Your typical beach episode, water play
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chanonvic/pseuds/Chanonvic
Summary: This admission confused Shirai. She gaped at Mikoto; she could sense there was some context underneath the words that she was sorely missing but couldn't catch it. Still, she knew that Mikoto washurting, for some reason, and that she was the cause of it, somehow.--Or, Misaka confesses something important.
Relationships: Misaka Mikoto/Shirai Kuroko
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76
Collections: Summer Multifandom Rarepair Bingo





	Retrograde

**Author's Note:**

> Summer Multifandom Rarepair Bingo prompt: water fight

The trip to the beach was as much a fun weekend distraction as it was a celebration of Shirai's return to full health, and if she got to see her darling roommate in a bathing suit, then that was just the perfect bonus.

When they arrived at the beach, Shirai had done her level best to peek in on Mikoto while she was changing from her undergarments to her bathing suit but was met with a sizzling zap and forced to half-dodge, half-teleport to avoid another strike. Uiharu and Saten didn't even bother to hide their laughter as she righted herself and dusted off the sand that clung to her own bare legs.

"That was mean, Sissy," Shirai bemoaned with a pout. Then, she wrung her hands and continued: "The idea of seeing you in a delicate bikini filled me with determination, how could I _not_ charge into your changing room?"

Mikoto stepped out of said changing room looking nonplussed. "You only had to wait a few more seconds, sheesh," she said, hand on hip.

Shirai opened her eyes from where they had squinted dreamily and took in Mikoto's appearance. She wasn't wearing the strappy bikini Shirai knew her mother had sent her, but instead a sporty one-piece that clung to her frame. It highlighted her athletic figure while cut to show off some of her back, and Shirai could've cursed herself for thinking Mikoto needed to wear anything else.

"And anyway, I can't wear that bikini you're thinking of," Mikoto continued. She then blushed lightly before saying, "It, uh, doesn't fit."

Shirai distantly registered how cute Mikoto was when she was embarrassed by her self-perceived lack but she was too taken by the other girl's appearance. Dropping her gaze briefly, Shirai ogled the other's thighs, which were slight yet firm, suggestive of her years-old habit of kicking anything (and anyone) that dared oppose her, be it vending machine or thug. She couldn't help herself; she lunged for Misaka's legs and held on for dear life.

"Such a rare treat," she cooed, "I'm so thankful!"

This time, Shirai expected the attack. She teleported away just in time but landed on her butt on the sand, causing the others to laugh even harder.

"Come on," Mikoto said, taking pity on her. She extended a hand to help Shirai up. "If we hurry, we can still get a good spot."

The girls managed to stake an area large enough for all their belongings. They were close enough to the water to go back and forth as they pleased without having to worry about the high tide washing away their things. Mikoto helped Saten set up the large umbrella they had brought for shelter from the sun while Shirai and Uiharu spread out their blanket and weighed down the four corners. When the pair was finished, Shirai dove for her tote bag and fished around for a bottle of sunscreen. With a devious grin, she held it up and turned to the rest of the group.

"Oh, Sissy," she called in a sing-song voice, "do you need help applying your sunscreen?" She moved scooted forward on her knees, already anticipating a yes, then froze.

"That's okay, Saten's already got it," Misaka said. Shirai could already see that, was already watching Saten kneeling behind her precious roommate to rub the lotion across the exposed part of her back.

Shirai grit her teeth but let it go. "What about you, Uiharu?" she asked with a bit less enthusiasm.

"Sure!" the girl said, and her cheerfulness forced a smile out of Shirai.

"All right!" Saten said when they were done. She stood and clapped her hand once. "I'm ready to jump into the water. Who's with me?"

The others cheered and hopped up, too, and ran into the water. They alternated between wading and swimming and riding the soft waves between amicable chatter and easy banter. At some point, Uiharu dove beneath the surface, splashing them all with a spray of salty water. She resurfaced laughing – thus igniting a splash war!

After recovering from a volley of attacks, Shirai aimed her next splash at Saten, who was grinning mischievously at her. "Here it comes!" she called before shoving the stream of water at her. The other girl was too fast, though; she ducked at the last minute, and Uiharu, who was standing just on the other side, got hit instead. Full in the face. Shirai cringed and reached out a hand helplessly. "Uiharu! A-are you okay?"

Uiharu, for her part, spluttered at the shock of the cold water, but once she had regained control of her breathing, she started to laugh. Water dripped from her head as she started to shake with the force of her amusement.

Shirai relaxed a little, glad that her friend was okay. The relief didn't last long, however: Uiharu started wading toward her without ever stopping her laughter. Shirai took a half-step back, then another, as the girl approached. "W-what are you doing, Uiharu?"

"Having my revenge," the girl said sweetly, and the mismatch of her tone and words made Shirai shudder. She was so taken aback that she couldn't gather the wherewithal to teleport away. And so she ended up being dunked into the water by her coworker headfirst.

When Shirai came up for air, the others were all laughing, too. Shirai grinned herself. "If that's how you wanna play it," she said, trying and failing to sound as menacing as possible. Uiharu backed away, but Shirai had already settled on a target. She glanced aside and teleported just above Mikoto, who was standing apart from the group.

"Oh, no! Shirai, don't!" Mikoto warned her when she reappeared. "My abilities, they –!" But it was too late – Shirai had already made contact with Mikoto, grabbing her by the shoulders to try and force her under. Instead, she felt the buzz of an electrostatic field before being repulsed.

Shirai went flying backwards, and before she could recover, she was landing on the shore on her back. Shirai sat up and cocked her head from side to side to shake the water out of her ears.

"Kuroko!" she heard Mikoto calling, and when she looked up she could see the other girl splashing her way over as quickly as possible. She almost reached out a hand to help Shirai up, then retracted it quickly, instead crouching down so they were eye-level. "I tried to warn you," she chided, "the EM field around me amplifies in the water. That's why I try not to touch anyone."

Despite her casual tone, Mikoto's eyes were still wide with worry and a touch regret, and Shirai's chest tightened under the weight of that gaze. "Yeah, I know," she said behind a sheepish smile, "I just forgot. I couldn't resist getting you under the water, too." Her tone turned coquettish toward the end and she winked.

Mikoto watched her carefully for a long moment, the concern in her face ebbing to curiosity and something Shirai couldn't quite place. Finally, the older girl stood up and nodded her head toward their spot on the beach. "Come on," she said, "I'll buy you a drink to make up for zapping you."

Who was Shirai to say no to that? She righted herself and waved to the other two girls, letting them know they'd return soon enough, before following Mikoto toward the boardwalk. They were silent, and Shirai took the opportunity to enjoy the warm breeze on her cool skin, the chatter and laughter of the other beach-goers, the tingle of being near Mikoto that had nothing to do with her Esper abilities. When they reached a vendor cart, Shirai instinctively reached for her coin purse, but Mikoto put a hand over hers.

"My treat, remember?" And she placed the order for the two of them, hesitated a second, then put in an order for the other two girls, as well. Mikoto rocked back and forth while they waited, and Shirai recognized the nervous energy bundled in the movement.

"Is something on your mind?" Shirai tried, leaning in a fraction.

Mikoto watched her with that same half-curious, half- _something else_ expression from earlier. "It's just...you know, I've been thinking," she said softly, "I'm really glad you're okay." She dropped her gaze and sighed, then looked back up at Shirai with such genuine relief that it pierced Shirai's heart. "Lately I've been wondering what it would be like to not have you around. What if one day, you...you forgot me? All our memories and little games, just gone. I-I don't think I could handle that."

This admission confused Shirai. She gaped at Mikoto; she could sense there was some context underneath the words that she was sorely missing but couldn't catch it. Still, she knew that Mikoto was _hurting_ , for some reason, and that she was the cause of it, somehow. She placed a gentle hand on Misaka's shoulder, and the other girl looked at it before returning her focus to Shirai. "Hey," she said softly, "it's okay. That's not gonna happen."

Mikoto's face relaxed into a small smile, which Shirai returned. "I'm glad you said that. Still, it made me realize how much I appreciate all of you, and how little I tell you that. Saten, Uiharu...and you, Kuroko." Mikoto gulped and took the hand that was still consoling her shoulder and held it between them. "Kuroko, I...I care about you. A lot."

Shirai's heart sped up like she was running a marathon, and she absently felt mortified by how sweaty her hands were since Mikoto was holding one of them. But more pressing was Mikoto's grip tightening around her hand as she leaned inward ever-so-slightly. Shirai stared up at her, the shock evident in her expression, while Mikoto looked uncertain yet determined. She was flushed and seemed like she wasn't breathing, and Shirai felt frozen to the spot. She went cross-eyed watching Mikoto until finally she felt the soft plush of lips on her own.

All of her half-formed daydreams of moments exactly like this hadn't prepared her for the real thing. It was all Shirai could do to remember to close her eyes and tilt her head slightly. Shirai swallowed back her shock and pressed back in, returning the kiss. She was just about to part her lips when –

"Order up!" the vendor shouted. Mikoto flinched back. She dropped Shirai's hand and swiveled around so that she could take the fruity drinks they had ordered, incidentally hiding what Shirai knew was a deep blush.

Shirai watched her try to balance all four cups while resisting the urge to touch her lips and seal in the warmth she had sapped from the older girl. After a few seconds, Shirai got a hold of herself, even tightening a fist in resolve. After all, if Mikoto could be brave, then so could she. Shirai wordlessly reached out and shuffled two of the drinks into the crook of her arm, freeing one of Mikoto's hands. She took that hand and wove their fingers together, then gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Mikoto looked down at their connected hands, then back up at Shirai, who smiled sweetly. "I care about you, too."


End file.
